Another (beady) year is here

Hello all and happy 2020! Can any of us believe it?! The days and years are just blowing by us like a speeding train. Seems not that long ago when the topic was Y2K and the start of a new millennium, but here we are days into 2020. Anyone out there doing resolutions? I tend to shy away from them, as I rarely succeed in keeping them. I do like to set mindful intentions and think of a word to focus on. This year’s word/intention for me is to find more joy in each day and feel gratitude in my life. How about you?

I have to make an admission here, I neglected my blog in the later half of 2019 and didn’t post near as much as I had planned when last year started. There are reasons, some good, others not so much, but it’s time to begin anew and see how this year goes in the blogosphere.

My jewelry making was a hit or miss for me in 2019. I went through prolific periods and also droughts of creativity. One thing I was consistent in doing though was buying all kinds of jewelry making supplies (much to the chagrin of my husband, I’m sure). I can’t pass up a bargain or miss out on artisan jewelry components from someone that I just found online. It got to a point where my work table was piled high with strands of beads, metal components and artisan wares. Mostly purchased online (Facebook, Etsy stores, online stores) but not always. Chain craft stores got some of my $$ this past year as well. Of course having this stash means I need to have it organized and stored, so a variety of containers and carts were purchased as well. It was getting a bit out of control. I finally got it all put in proper containers and cleared a path in my work space to get back to using my creative mojo and make things. Posted below are photos of just some of the pieces I made, showing a variety of the materials I used this past year.

You can see czech glass, metal, Swarovski crystals, fan tassels, polymer and acrylic components mixed in*. This reflects what I’m really interested in creating. I hope to expand my jewelry making skills in 2020 by learning some bead weaving. It’s taken me awhile to really find a personal interest in doing that. For a long time using a needle or loom to work with beads didn’t appeal to me. However, I’m finding more designs and bead options in the market that make it something I want to try. We’ll see how that goes. It can be hard to start and learn something new, but the readily available videos and products online makes it a bit easier to jump in.

So here’s hoping for a healthy, creative, and peace-filled 2020 for all of us.

Pondering over beads and coffee- “You’ll never get bored over trying something new. There’s really no limit to what you can do.” ~ Dr Seuss